


Unlucid Dreams

by KuttingCorners



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: AHHHSSJDHIWHHEFHGDEHUHEUH, Adora ain't dumb, Angst, Arguing, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Except it’s not good, F/F, Flashbacks, Gang Rape, I think i least, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kudos please though, Like it mentions Catra being raped and all, Mild Smut, Misunderstandings, Multi, My IQ can fit in an ant, Nightmares, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Not Canon Compliant, OC is an asshole, Offscreen rape, Oh and like, Original Character(s), Probably boring to read, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Scorpia is worried, Self-Harm, Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra)'s A+ Parenting, Sorry Catra btw, Sorry Not Sorry, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence, Trigger Warnings, Will definitely add more tags later, ahhhh, and only for plot device, bless her heart, but like, but not really, catradora, ish, it’s not graphic, my moods just like, okay now im starting to regret this, ugh i cant write, why did I write this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2020-10-25 15:53:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20726804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuttingCorners/pseuds/KuttingCorners
Summary: Catra.Seems intimidating enough.But she has fears.Everyone does.Her #1 fear is violation of her own body.And after a nightmare, it makes her begin to slack off.It gets worse.And seeing Adora sure as hell doesn’t help at all.I’m so sorry Catra.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First She-Ra fanfic.  
Of course it’s gonna have period jokes.  
I’m immature like that.  
It’s subtle.
> 
> Also.  
TW: Non-Con, Flashback, Trauma

_No. _

_Please..._

Catra’s back pained as she turned up to face the purple sky, accompanied by a lowly giggle and footsteps dragging along. A jagged hand grabbed her by the shirt and thrusted her onto a roughed up rock. She opened her eyes to see a buff figure with flowing blond hair. But her heart dropped when her haze cleared up and spotted it.

Her ruby red eyes pierced her mismatched eyes.

Catra’s hands were held above her head and stayed attached to the boulder.

“...Adora?” Catra asked in a small, weak voice, but the pounding in her heart nearly drowned it out. She-Ra’s hand let go of Catra's, securing them to the rock, giving her an opening. Her hands trailed down Catra’s side, and went inwards at her hip.

_Is she gonna-?_

_ Oh._

_ No._

_Nononono._

“H-Hey! Stop!” Catra cried out, using the last of her energy to flail her legs around. Her plan backfired when the Sword of Protection was abruptly drawn to her face. She whimpered at the slight graze the blade made at her neck. “Look at you. Weak.” She-Ra whispered, snarling at the fretful young woman. Catra whispered begs as her leg was caressed. She felt the tight cloth hugging her legs tear, and she broke into tears. Her eyes were bloodshot and full of fear. She felt a callused finger stroking her and quickly pushing up. Catra felt no sense of arousal and was her cry and moan was all pain, no pleasure. Each thrust made her feel more sore, but not any damper. She sobbed loudly and cracked her voice when shouting begs. She-Ra manically laughed when she raised Catra's leg into an uncomfortable position, paining her even more. She threw Catra’s head back, cracking the rock as she breathed into Catra's mouth and then-

Catra's eyes shot open and was met by a greenish grey ceiling. She sat up and felt hot tears streaming down her cheek as her blurred vision cleared up. She was drenched in sweat and her body shivered. That. That wasn’t real. The pain felt so lifelike, through. “Just a dream, Catra.” She told herself.

“Just a- Just a-“

_A nightmare._

She panted, trying to catch her breath. Her legs felt slightly sore, despite it all being fake. She looked at the clock.

5:30 AM.

5:30? She slept in for an hour and a half. She shot up and looked herself in the mirror. She looked disheveled and crazed. Like she had faced her worst her fear.

Violation.

Assault.

Rape.

She was no stranger to be threatened by it. She could take all of Shadow Weaver's beatings, but to be threatened with violation of her own body is what feared her most.

_A 12 year old Catra sat up, pulses of the stun gun still shivering through her. “Catra,” Shadow Weaver snarled. “Listen up. You’ve started your cycle, haven’t you?” Catra nodded, with a drip of blood staining her fur. “You have more at stake now. If you even try this level of insolence one more time, I will have no regrets, I will give you to the male guards, and they will do whatever they desire with you.” Catra’s eyes bulged as her tears mixed with her bloody wounds. “Y-You mean...?” “YES,” Shadow Weaver boomed. “However way they violate you will be none of my concern.” Catra curled her petite body up, raising her knees to her chest. “Have I made myself clear?” Catra’s lip trembled as she nodded. “Y-Yes, Shadow Weaver.” “Out!” Weaver commanded, and Catra stumbled out her Chamber. As the door shut, the words spoken to her echoed in her brain. _

“Catra!” Catra shook her head of the memory to hear a knock at her door. She opened it, and standing there was a panicked Scorpia. “Catra, I’ve been calling you for the past 5 minutes, what’ve- Hey, are you okay?” Catra rested her hand on her own face.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Oh, okay. Whoo, you slept in today. Is it one of _those_ days? If so, you need anything?”

“_Those_ days?”

“_Your_ days?”

“_My_ day- Oh.”

Catra felt slight heat at her face. “No, I just-“ Her sore legs made her posture look weak, and the look on Scorpia's face showed it was obvious.

“I was just tired,” Catra lied. “Obviously, everyone’s been awaiting your orders for a good 30 minutes!” Scorpia chuckled.

“Yeah, well they can wait. I’m going to get ready,” Catra declared.

“Okay! I’ll just inform them,” said Scorpia, and she left. As the door shut, Catra let out a hefty sigh and turned to face her reflection. “It was just a dream. It’s not real, I would never be...” She choked on her own words and dismissed her reflection.

* * *

Adora woke up like usual. She did a light workout, she got ready for the day, all that stuff. But she felt different than usual. As if she was dreading something. Or felt guilty. She shrugged it off, however. Her emotions tend to act up like that. She got downstairs and met with Glimmer and Bow. “Adora!” Glimmer beamed, wishing her friend good morning. Adora smiled, but something in her wanted to slap her for smiling. Don’t smile, dimwit. “A Horde attack is expected today,” Queen Angella said, trailing up on the squad. “Be on lookout.” The three young adults nodded and went back to chatting amongst each other. “So, how was your sleep, Adora?” Glimmer asked. “Huh? Oh. Pretty good, just woke up feeling a bit different. Probably nothing,” Adora replied. “Yeah, it better be. We’re on lookout for any attacks, and can’t have She-Ra out of commission,” Glimmer said, placing a palm to Adora’s forehead. Glimmer’s caring face turned smug. “So. Had any interesting dreams?” “Glimmer, you ask me this everyday,” Adora huffed. “For the last time, no. I’m too busy to have time to-“ “Yeah, yeah,” Glimmer waved her off. “Look!” The three spotted a bot emerging from the Whispering Woods. “Get everyone!” Bow called out. Glimmer teleported away, and Adora scurried for her sword. The sky blue stone glistened. But the guilt in her got even worse. “Whatever’s going on, or why I feel guilty, I did nothing.” Adora repeated in her mind as she picked up the sword.

“FOR THE HONOUR OF GRAYSKULL!”

Another goddamn attack on Thaymor. The Horde must have a thing for it. The alliance had minimum trouble clearing up the bots, but they kept constantly flooding in. Adora’s mind was pacing back and forth. Bots were easy to clear. Too easy. Until-

She spotted a tail swishing in a bramble of bushes, and she pounced. Grabbing the tail, she heard a small moan of agony.

Eyes widened, Adora flushed and backed away, to see Catra’s paled face rise from the bushes. Adora. No. Catra backed away as Adora drew her sword. “Catra? Are you? Did I?” Embarrassment faded and fear settled in. “No. You didn’t. Please don’t...” Catra’s heart pounded and legs buckled. As Adora heard an explosion, anger took over and she pounced once more, cracking Catra’s back and she let out a groan as Adora forcefully straddled her. “H-Hey Adora,” she snarled, forcing a smile. Adora didn’t regard her. She felt Catra’s sudden pick up in heartbeat, could feel a slight shiver. It infuriated her.

“What was all that?! A distraction?!” Adora barked.

“I’ve had it with your games, Catra. I’m done with this.”

Catra’s eyes shot open.

Adora had angry eyes.

Anger.

Red.

Adora had red eyes.

She-Ra had red eyes.

“Red eyes...” Catra whispered in a small voice.

Adora did a double take and gazed at Catra.

This isn’t a game.

Catra never feared She-Ra.

In fact, she found it funny to tease her when angered.

But this...

Catra’s eyes screamed of fear.

Her eyes grew glossy.

Catra had no intent to move.

This isn’t right.

Something’s wrong.

Adora gently removed herself from on top of Catra, without saying a word. Catra sat up and looked at Adora, who detransformed. She tried getting on her feet, but her legs gave out as Adora wouldn’t tear her stare away. “Catra,” Adora started, “Are you okay?” Catra flinched. “Why would you care? You’re my enemy, all you want to do is... hurt me.” Catra grew consciousness of reality when another explosion set off. She flicked her tail back and forth, trying to shake the thought of Adora grabbing it and the awkward moan she let out. Eventually, she stood up and averted her gaze at Adora. She cursed at herself and ran off, leaving Adora dazed.

This.

This is what Adora felt guilty about.

* * *

Adora arrived back into the center of Thaymor, and a panicked Glimmer embraced her. “Adora, we couldn’t find you!” She cried, digging her face into Adora’s jacket. “O-Oh? Sorry, I ran into Catra and all and...” Glimmer re-examined Adora who looked visibly stressed and disheveled.

“Really, Adora?” Glimmer asked, in a tone that sounded both sarcastic and annoyed.

“What?”

“Ran off with Catra again? I always knew you were the more secretive type but...”

“Pardon?”

“You could at least fix up first.”

Adora turned bright red.

“Glimmer! Be serious for once!”

“Sorry,” Glimmer huffed. “Seriously though. You look tattered, what happened?”

Adora thought back to Catra’s fearful, glassy eyes. Instead of receiving a tease, she received bulging, dead eyes. And, red eyes? What about them?

“Adora?”

“Huh?”

“Looks like you’re having fun reminiscing.”

Adora couldn’t bother to call about another lewd joke. Something was wrong with Catra, and she didn’t understand what. Something to do with red eyes.

“ADORA!”

“What?” Adora yelled.

“What happened with you and Catra?” Glimmer asked, taking Adora by the hand. “I don’t wanna... talk. About it.” She finally answered Glimmer. “Got it.” The walk back to Bright Moon was awkward and long.

* * *

Catra finally buckled into the skiff and exhaled, albeit her breath shaky. “Catra?” Scorpia asked. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she replied under her breath. “Really? Seemed like you couldn’t land a single hit on Adora.” Catra peered at the white haired lady, as if to be intimidating, but she couldn’t. She seemed panicked and stressed. “I don’t want to talk about it. Got that?” Catra answered. “You sure?” Scorpia asked.

“No, but it’s less embarrassing than saying looking at Adora made me feel defenceless,”

She replied without stopping to think. She realised her words and blushed.

“Adora made you feel defenceless? W-What? How?”

Catra groaned, to seem agitated, but her mind played her lifelike cry of pain from her nightmare.

She clutched her legs together tightly and let her angry eyes fall into worried ones. She scooted closer to Scorpia and rested on her shoulder, and let out a small whimper. “Sorry, uhh... cramp.” Catra lied.

“Don’t worry. But how did Adora make you feel weak?” Catra lifted her head, brainstorming the best way to approach her.

“It’s... personal.”

“Got it.”

Looking at the rummage the Horde made, Catra noticed that they lost. That’s just great. Should probably stop attacking the same stupid place anyways. She held onto the skiff controls and lifted off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra.
> 
> She's fine.  
Honestly.  
Everything is fine.
> 
> I don't know why you ask.  
She's fine.
> 
> No, really, she is.  
Odd that you ask.  
Truth be told, she's fine.
> 
> Odd that you ask.  
Keen of you to ask, but she's fine.  
Almost- no- everything's fine.  
You're worried over nothing.
> 
> S.H.E I.S N.O.T O.K.A.Y.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First letter in the sentences in the summary.  
Read 'em.  
Also, I changed the name from Worst Case Scenario to Unlucid Dreams because that fits a lot better.  
I decided to continue this fic.  
Anyways, did yall see that s4 trailer? I'm hyped!
> 
> Alright. TW: Sexual Assault  
Read at your own risk.

“Red eyes.”  
Adora’s eyes narrowed at the vague sentence. The only people she can recall with red eyes are Entrapta and Hordak. But the fretful, the shaken, and the teary look in Catra’s eyes once they locked made her heart want to plummet. Catra never feared her; in fact, the opposite. Catra would even flirt to catch Adora off guard; she knew Adora could take praise, but some things couldn’t help but made Adora flush. What on Etheria merited that reaction from Catra then?

She remembered the pained moan from Catra.

She remembered feeling Catra’s heartbeat race a hundred miles a minute.

She remembered her unneeded, uncharacteristic outburst.

And how it scared Catra.

_“Why would you care? You’re my enemy, all you want to do is... hurt me.”_

No. Adora tried to refuse seeing Catra as an enemy. If it wasn’t for the raging war, or their opposite sides, she would have scooped Catra into an enormous hug and never let go.

But they are enemies. 

They are on the opposite sides of the war.

Adora cursed in her brain as she felt the guilt she had previously well up again. Despite what Catra says, Adora isn’t as oblivious as she seems and can tell that something’s wrong with Catra.

“Adora!”

Adora snapped out of her trance to see Glimmer peering at her from her door. “What are you staring at?”

Huh? Oh. Adora must have been staring at her sword for a bit too long.

“My sword,” Adora replies, sounding unintentionally cocky.

“Psh, okay, saviour of Etheria,” Glimmer mocked. She spots Adora exhaling with her eyes shut, just giving her enough time to narrow her own.

“Damn, pretty weird how the Horde retreated like that, eh?” Glimmer asked, shutting the door behind her. “The fight was kinda sad, if you ask me.”

When Adora had a lack of response, Glimmer straightened up.

“Hey, you came back detransformed, by the way. How come?”

“Huh? Oh, um, I guess I lost focus.”

“No dip, Adora. The moment you lay eyes on Catra, most rationality flies out your head,” Glimmer replied. “Your fights get _aggressive_ most of the time, and I don’t think it’s from war,” Glimmer teased. Adora let out a short, stunned gasp in denial as she flushed pink. “Glimmer!”

“Sor-ry! It’s just that, remember that one time in Alwyn, when Catra pounced on you from that tree, and your reaction? Gosh, the way that fight was heading, I couldn’t tell whether to cover Frosta’s eyes or not! And that moment when Catra threatened to _strip_ you of your chestplate? You seemed as if you were gonna keel over in embarrassment! Oh! OH! Remember when you said that _nothing’s gonna distract you_, just for when Catra’s clothes got torn, you stared at her, and it wasn’t her face. And when she told you to _keep your eyes up here!_” Glimmer broke out laughing.

Adora forced a fake laugh, and turned away, fading back into her trance of thought. Glimmer’s laughs paled when she saw the focused look on her friend’s face. “Hey, Adora, are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, peachy,” Adora replied. _No._

“You sure?” Glimmer asked, her voice dripping in apprehension.

“Red eyes,” Adora answered.

Glimmer blinked. “Pardon?”

“Catra… she said something about red eyes.”

_Catra backed away as Adora drew her sword. “Catra? Are you? Did I?” Embarrassment faded and fear settled in. “No. You didn’t. Please don’t...” Catra’s heart pounded and legs buckled._

“Please don’t,” Adora repeated, this time out loud. “Please don’t what? Catra was being so vague, I didn’t understand.”

Glimmer felt her stomach churn at the sight of her friend’s unease.

“Don’t worry about Catra,” she spoke up. “She was probably trying to catch you off guard.” _Seems like it worked, though._

“B-But,” Adora stammered. “…I still care for her.”

Glimmer fought back a groan. “Of course you will, you grew up with her, after all. It’s normal, but we have a serious war raging right now. We have to put out individual feelings aside and work as one.”

Adora pretended to agree by nodding. _No, you’re wrong. Something’s wrong. You don’t just get teased relentlessly one battle and be feared the next._

“Anyways, have a goodnight’s sleep,” said Glimmer, and she poofed out, leaving the blonde teen sitting in the room alone.

* * *

Catra was running.  
Running for her dear life.  
And she felt as if she would’ve succeeded, had she not tripped over _God knows what._

She collapsed onto the firm pine-coloured grass with her shoulder first. She tried to gasp for air, but soon realised she was hyperventilating. Her blurred vision took in the midnight sky that was stripped of stars.

“Catra,” a lowly voice growled. Catra’s unstable breathing system practically failed her again, and as she tried to stand, her legs grew weak.

Her entire body went limp, in fact.

“Where did you think you were running to?” The voice asked. The sneers grew closer until she saw a glowing figure hovering over her.

The figure sneered and flashed pearly white teeth, and opened their eyes.

They’re red eyes.

Adora- _She-Ra._

Catra panicked and tried to crawl backwards, but all she could do was flail her limbs around helplessly. The large, buff hand began to reach out, and floated absently as if it was making a choice. Finally, the hand wrapped itself around Catra’s breasts,

And squeezed.

Catra shot her eyes open and gritted her teeth at the unexpected harsh touch. _No, that’s no touch. It’s a relentless, harsh grasp._

She felt another hand take at her thigh. _Stop. Just say it, you dirty animal. Stop._

“S-s-sto…” Was all Catra could manage.

“Stop? You want me to stop?” She-Ra asked. She paused in consideration. “No.”

She made both of her clutches even harder, hard enough for a pained hum to strangle its way out of Catra’s throat.

Dammit, why weren’t her arms moving? She could easily shove She-Ra off. Or her right leg. Kick right where it hurts.

Except, that’s the thing. The mighty She-Ra was as good as invincible. The only thing that could really hurt her is Catra. And that’s not going well.

Her inaudible thoughts were shut up once She-Ra forced her lips onto the feline’s, trying to slip her tongue through, against Catra’s will. She let go out Catra’s breasts, only to place the free hand on Catra’s free leg.

Both palms trailed into Catra’s inner thigh, and the thumbs began to explore. Catra, who seemed unattached before, began to see the implications of the situation.

_Stop._

_STOP._

_STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP-_

Catra couldn’t beg with her words, however. Her eyes filled with tears, and she felt her body slow down, yet heart pick up pace.

She-Ra released the grips on the legs and began tugging on Catra’s straps.

She didn’t know when she was fully stripped.

She-Ra broke the lock of mouths to hear Catra’s desperate breaths, which satisfied her. She clutched onto Catra’s breasts again, cutting off the heavy breathing, replaced with quiet cries. Catra was aware of when a finger was ungraciously slipped inside her, and the dam in her eyes bursted, releasing tears as her cries were muffled with lips pushed onto hers again.

“Disgusting animal,” She-Ra growled. “Shadow Weaver should’ve gotten rid of you long ago.”

_Stop._

_This has to all be a nightmare. _

_It has to be._

_Stop, stop, stop-_

“CATRA!”

* * *

Catra’s eyes shot open with a high pitched cry.

“HOLY SHI-Scorpia?!” Catra shrieked, her voice shaken. She caught her near slip-up and grumbled to herself. Her eyes remained screwed open, however. The scorpion lady stood at her bedside.

“Catra, I heard you crying and I freaked!” Scorpia replied, voice quivering.

Catra’s breathing slowed to a normal pace. “Don’t scare me like that!” she managed to yell.

“Sorry, but, I… I um… I…”

Scorpia’s eyes trailed downward.

“What?” Catra asked, a feeling of panic settling again. “What’re you staring at?”

“Uh! Nothing!” Scorpia exclaimed, her eyes frantically meeting Catra’s. “It’s just that, um, how do I say this… Your breasts.”

Catra nearly choked. “My what?!” She shrieked, throwing her arms around to cover them. She didn’t actually know she wasn’t naked until she felt a cloth covering her chest, albeit rather loosely. She looked down tentatively to see purple bruises on the areas that weren’t covered by her bra. Wasn’t it just a nightmare, how did bruises actually form?

A low feeling of unease settled in her stomach as an uncomfortable burning ached in her legs.

“Catra, are you okay?” Scorpia asked.

Catra wanted to shake her head so damn badly.

But she nodded.

“I’m fine,” she replied.

“You sure?” Scorpia asked.

“Yes, I’m- I’m fine,” Catra replied, words getting caught in her throat.

Scorpia stared intensely at the _obviously not fine_ girl sitting in front of her.

“Catra, if anything’s wrong, you know you can talk to me, right? If anything happened, I’d be more than willing to spend the rest of my days talking until you feel better,” Scorpia offered. It caught Catra off guard.

How is she supposed to explain the <strike>dreams</strike> nightmares?

Why is she even getting them?

It’s not like she’d actually been- _in that circumstance._

Catra inhaled to loosen the knot in her throat. “No, it’s fine, I’m fine, and _piss off._”

Well, she didn’t entirely mean to add that last part. Scorpia looked taken aback, but she wouldn’t budge.

“Did anything happen with Adora?”

Catra froze in her movements again.

She began to nod, until she realized herself and frantically shook her head.

“No, nothing happened. Stop asking me questions, I’m fine,” Catra spat.

There wasn’t much point in prying, so Scorpia backed off and left. Not without taken a quick glance at Catra.

_She’s fine._

_She’s <strike>not</strike> fine._

_She’s not fine._

Adora shot up from her bed. It was barely 6 am. But she couldn’t sleep. Because she had a nightmare. And in the nightmare, she couldn’t see. Everything was pitch black. But she could hear.

_“Disgusting animal. Shadow Weaver should’ve gotten rid of you long ago.”_

Adora broke into a nervous sweat. She could hear Catra’s faint cries.

Adora barely knew what in Etheria was going on.

But she did know that Catra was not okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora doesn't know how to take the dream she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMGOMGOMGSHHSUHDHIEJIEUDH
> 
> I have not updated this in two months, ive been so busy ;-;  
i really hope people will like this  
anyways heres a chapter 3! enjoy!  
comments and kudos are my life support <3_<3

Glimmer and Bow quickly became aware of how disheartened Adora had become that morning. Bow caught her deep in thought, and watched the dull look in her eyes as she glanced over. The usual vibrant cerulean her eyes held were dark and faded. When Bow had asked if she was okay, however, he was only given an emotionless hum in response and a slow, snail-paced turn away.

Glimmer went to Adora’s room to talk when she saw Adora restlessly thrashing around in a dejected manner on her bed, as if she was anxious. She then saw Adora pick up her sword and stare at the runestone on it. When Adora was aware of Glimmer standing there, she only looked up with a slight glint in her eyes— no flinching or even a signal of surprise.

“Glimmer.” Adora slowly said her name. She gave a sad smile. “Hi.”

“Adora, what is up with you?” Glimmer asked, not meaning to let the agitation out in her voice. “You’ve been moody _all_ day!” Adora only tilted her head to the side. “Really?” she asked.

“Yes! What, did you have a bad dream or something?” Glimmer took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Sorry.”

Adora didn’t respond; she only looked away. Glimmer caught this, and she stepped closer to Adora, and as Adora sat up, Glimmer sat next to her on the bed.

“Adora, if anything’s wrong, you know you can tell us, right?” Glimmer said, and she put a comforting hand on Adora’s shoulder. Adora glanced at Glimmer.

“You wouldn’t care anyways,” Adora muttered.

“That’s not true! Me and Bow have been worried about you today, and we really want you to open up!” Glimmer placed her hand on Adora’s face, grasping the latter’s attention.

“Please?” Glimmer softly asked.

Adora kept quiet for a few seconds before lowering her eyelids and turning her stare downwards and softly sighed.

“It’s about Catra.”

Glimmer wasn’t expecting to hear that as a response, and almost replied with a string of insults in mind for the mentioned feline, but reminded herself as to how upset Adora is feeling, and how much Adora still cares for her. “Catra?”

“I had a dream, but I couldn’t see anything. Everything was just black— I couldn’t feel anything either. But then, I heard crying— and I realized it was _Catra_ crying. It didn’t seem like she was just sad though. It was like— like she was in pain. Excruciating pain, almost. I don’t know why, though— It felt so real, and then… and then…”

Adora ran her sweaty hands through her tangled hair, letting the blonde locks fall where they may. Her stomach twisted in a sense of unease. Glimmer rubbed circles in her back to unravel the nerves choking her, and hummed, leaning on Adora’s shoulder.

“…I heard myself, Glimmer. I-I heard myself and I said that— that she was a disgusting animal.”

Adora felt Glimmer tense through her touch and subtly felt her breath hitch.

“I said that Shadow Weaver should’ve gotten rid of her long ago— Glimmer, I’m worried. The last time I saw Catra, she was scared of me, and now—“

“Adora,” Glimmer mumbled, “It’s all just a dream, don’t worry. I’m sure Catra’s— fine.” Glimmer wrapped her arms around Adora. “You need to chill sometimes, sweetie. You’re working yourself up too much.”

“But sometimes these aren’t just dreams, Glimmer. Sometimes they’re visions. What if this is a vision? What if I’m gonna hurt Catra one day?” Adora felt an unwanted rise in her emotions, but she couldn’t distinguish if it was anger or sadness.

“Adora, this is war, everyone’s gonna get hurt. Catra is just a small part of that everyone. I know you’re gonna feel guilty having to hurt her, but you shouldn’t worry about that whole ‘animal’ bit. I know that you know that you’ll never say that. Anyways, you two aren’t on the same side anymore, and your grudge with her is obviously setting you back, so I think you need to move o—“

“GLIMMER!” Adora yelled, throwing herself out of Glimmer’s grasp. “Stop talking like that! Something is wrong with Catra, and I don’t care if you despise her, but I don’t! You think picking up some weird sword all of a sudden made me stop caring about everyone from my past?! If Catra can barely stay on her feet to fight me and looks as if she’d become sick staying in my presence, something is wrong!”

Glimmer silently gasped as Adora went on before narrowing her eyes and furrowing her eyebrows. She gradually stood up and created distance between the two.

“Why the hell are you so hung up on this chick, Adora?! So something’s wrong with her, what’re you gonna do? Screw being She-Ra, you’re gonna run back to the Horde to comfort a kitty who’s being moody?! Adora, there is nothing you can do that won’t jeopardize our situation!”

Adora obnoxiously scoffed. “So what, because the universe decided to be an asshole and have my whole life revolve around some random sword I was dumb enough to pick up, my identity, my past, my life doesn’t matter anymore?! Glimmer, I still care about Catra! Yes, everyone is gonna get hurt—“

“Adora, SHUT UP!” Glimmer yelled, her voice cracking at a pitch she’d never hit before. She stomped her foot for affect. “You think Catra freaks out this much whenever you get hurt?! Or the time you barely were hanging onto life after being caught up in a mass explosion off the coast of Aeberuthey? I’m pretty sure the answer is no, so stop being so hung up on her! You’re wasting your time!”

Adora growled and scoffed. “Right, because now I lost the time I could’ve spent gallivanting around as the _mighty_ She-Ra. _Nice talk, Glimmer.”_

The way Adora’s voice had lowered made Glimmer flinch and realize the heated argument they had. Glimmer’s heartbeat quickened as she hesitantly brought herself to glance at Adora’s eyes. Adora’s eyes were no longer dull and emotionless— they held aggravation in them now. Glimmer bit her tongue to prevent herself from letting anything else slip out. She quickly turned from Adora and headed for the door.

And out she went.

Adora squinted her eyes at the door before she realized what had happened. She groaned and flopped back unto the bed, staring at the ceiling with no specific thoughts in mind.

She just argued with Glimmer about Catra.

_What if Glimmer was right the first time? That this is all just a distraction to get me off my feet?_

Still, Adora twisted and turned every time Catra crying was played in her head. It almost was on loop like a broken record, but all Adora did was drown out the world around her and subconsciously listen. _Glimmer’s right. I can’t go to the Fright Zone just to ask if she’s okay…_

Adora began running through old memories and mentally analyzing them, with the sobs in the background playing faintly, serving as a reminder to get the task done. She pounded on the mental walls blocking out bits of her childhood, desperate to know if anything forgotten could give her any idea as to what was going on…

“Princess Adora!”

Adora screamed in surprise and almost flung herself off the bed. Her eyes surveyed the room, searching for the source of the sudden voice. After getting out of her frazzled panic, her eyes finally landed on the door, and standing there was a frantic guard who had splayed the doors wide open with their arms.

“It’s the Horde! The Horde is attacking Faybourne! We need She-Ra!” The guard panted, as if they’d been running at top speed. Adora rose to her feet and put a determined look on her face.

“I’ll be right there,” Adora announced, keeping her voice low and serious. The guard gave a nervous smile before turning and running off.

As wind from an unknown source gently blew the door shut, Adora cursed herself and lunged for her jacket. _Of course, of course it was a distraction! The second I see Catra’s smug face, I swear…_

She clasped the belts around her waist and turned to the mirror to tie her hair up. She definitely wasn’t one to be seen without some sort of signature hairstyle, but there’s no time…

Adora grumbled and shrugged her shoulders, directing obstructing hair behind her shoulder and to rest on her back. She reached for her sword and sprinted out the door, not even stopping to think twice as to which direction she had bolted towards.

She was down the stairs and at the doorframe at no time, and stood outside, panting heavily as her knees buckled, having all the adrenaline sucked out of her in an instant.

“—S-Swift Wind…!”

Adora called his name between wheezes until she spotted an unruly pink and orange mane from a distance.

“Sorry for taking a bit, Adora! I was off exploring, you know, doing my—“

“Yeah yeah,” Adora interrupted, not wanting to ponder on how snappish she sounded. “Horde attack at Faybourne, can you take us there?”

Swift Wind subtly stared her down in a hidden shock, making him keep quiet, before he neighed and turned his head, letting his mane stylize him. “Of course, Adora!”

Adora felt a slight tug on her lips at his enthusiasm, but refused to let it show. “Great. Now, for the honour of Grayskull…!”

Catra cursed herself as she tied a belt around her waist, keeping the fluffy jacket she had snagged from a storage closet secured around her. As she clasped the hook, she eyed herself in the mirror, and felt a looming sense of apprehension, anger, and sadness all in one. A part of her couldn’t be bothered to go through with the mission to seize Faybourne from rebel control— but a small glance at her Force Captain badge gave her the slight nudge to get it over with. What good would she be anyways, opting out of missions just because _she was acting a little scared?_

Catra bared her fangs and hissed at the mental voice in her head. _Nonono, she’s not scared. Just…_ _concerned_. Why would she be scared of Adora? She knows Adora’s ups, her downs, and her weaknesses.

_You’re scared of Adora because of—_

“_Nothing_,” Catra bitterly snarls under her breath, as if to respond to herself. “Nothing to be scared of.”

Okay, maybe she was a _little_ nervous.

Besides, it wasn’t just because of the role as Force Captain she needed to play that she was going along with the Faybourne attack. It was also because of the _Thaymor_ attack.

Catra growled under her breath and clutched her fists with much strength to the point she could’ve drawn blood.

In the Thaymor attack, she made an utter fool out of herself.

She cowered at the mere sight of She-Ra, would barely form words, ran away, and all in all, forgot how to function as a living being. Now, the Horde was attacking another rebel controlled town— Faybourne— which seems to be permanently in an autumn setting— and She-Ra, the rebels’ _lord and saviour_, was bound to be there.

And she wouldn’t mess up twice.

She couldn’t.

She was not-so-gently brought out of her chain of thoughts with a knock on her bedroom door.

“Come in,” she responded, able to keep emotion out of her voice, leaving it dismal and monotone.

The door opened and standing at the frame was Scorpia, who appeared to have a lighter jacket on than Catra. Catra couldn’t be bothered to notice it, however.

“Hey, uh, Catra,” Scorpia droned, “Are you sure you wanna— you know, go through with this? I mean, you seem really unsure and all, and I don’t wanna put you in a spot that’s gonna make you uncomfortable, but I also don’t wanna do or say anything that’s gonna ruin everything we’re working for— like, the mission can still go on, but if you’re not feeling it, you can always stay back and spectate, and I can send more cadets to the field, it’s no probl—“

“Scorpia, you talk a lot.” Catra clicked her tongue slightly, shutting Scorpia up, before the latter flushed pink.

“O-Oh! Sorry, I’m just asking, y’know?” Scorpia stammered. Catra sighed, but couldn’t bring herself to emphasize on the exasperation in her tone.

“For your information, do you think I’d be wasting time looking for a jacket if I didn’t? The Fright Zone’s pretty hot, with all this crappy conditioning.”

Scorpia blinked in response a couple times before adding a large, warm smile.

“Okay! Just making sure. The skiff’s ready outside, or do you wanna take the tank?”

“Nah, I need fresh air,” Catra replied. “Skiff it is.”

Scorpia nodded. “Alright, meet me outside.”

And with that, Scorpia took her leave, leaving Catra standing alone in her room. Catra turned to face her mirror and stared herself down.

“This is okay. I can do this. Nothing to be scared of…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short battle.
> 
> Sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should've been out before New Years, but my dumbass deleted the chapter and I threw a fit about it.  
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this short chapter. I'm bad with fight scenes (you can tell when i gave up), so chapters with fight scenes will be shorter (about 1k opposed to 2k+) than others. Really sorry about that. :(

The attack seemed oddly intricate.

Adora had been caught off-guard multiple times throughout the battle, with near-deadly swings being thrown at her from almost every direction, or the explosions keeping her from being stuck in thought. With each wave of bots she graciously eliminated, she began seething in anger more and more.

_Of course,_ she thought. _Catra distracted me so the Horde could kick in strong. Damn my emotion bond with her…_

A new wave of soldiers had appeared out of almost nowhere, startling Adora. The soldiers had an abundant amount of energy— must be just stepping onto the field, which means the Fright Zone is still sending soldiers to battle. _Shoot…_

There were many sounds of shots, perhaps explosives. Preparing herself to step onto the field as She-Ra, the legendary warrior always requires a strenuous mental pep-talk and a lot of steeling oneself up. And usually, it helped. She almost always kept composure during skirmishes such as this one, even when they do become difficult. Now, however, Adora just felt overwhelmed. She found it challenging to maintain the usual She-Ra grace, and groaned whenever a moment to gain her energy back was interrupted with bots lunging at her or an explosive sent her way. 

The battle began to drag on, and as it did, it began to chip away at Adora. She was fatigued, her temper was being tested, and all in all, she was wondering how she was still standing on both legs, with a bold posture. Perhaps it’s her resentment with Catra that’s driving her forward?

Adora scowled at the thought of the feline’s name, giving her the slight adrenaline boost to annihilate a group of bots. As everything had seemed clear, Adora leaned against a tree to regain energy. She jabbed her sword tip into the soil to use the still sword as a rest, and shut her eyes, trying to clear her mind of any challenges to direct all focus to the battle at hand. Just then, however, she heard rustling. It wasn’t near her, it was distant. Like it was _across_ her…

She took a sharp breath and straightened her stance, pointing her sword towards the rustling bush to appear menacing to any oncoming attackers. The rustling stopped, however. Adora narrowed her eyes in confusion at the now still bush, questioning whether she should move closer or not to investigate. When there continued to just be silence in the patch of area she was in, save for the expected chaos in the background, she groaned and moved forward, still keeping her grip on the sword firm and holding it in a threatening manner. Suddenly, she heard rustling again. This time, _behind_ her. Adora let out a small startled noise as her body tensed.

_“H-Heyyy, Adora.” _

Adora’s eyes widened as she turned to face the tree she previously leaned on to spot Catra perched on a lanky branch with her vibrant eyes squinted. 

“Catra,” Adora loudly replied, turning her sword toward the feline’s direction. Adora could feel a lingering sense of guilt and dread and she could sense apprehension in the air— she tried to stifle these feelings however. “What, was this just a distraction?”

Adora noticed the falter in Catra’s demeanour and the latter shifting her weight to one side. This, oddly enough, brought a grin on her face. When Catra hadn’t responded, however, repressed feelings began stirring in her stomach again, but Adora continued.

“The last Thaymor battle. Thought you could throw me off-course by trying to play to my emotions, and, and, acting all… _not_, like you? Sad and scared? Well, just note, it’s not gonna work in the end.”

Adora noticed Catra stumble back slightly and how the thin, slender, vibrant lines of Catra’s eyes widened slightly before returning back to the thin state. 

“Play with your emotions?” There was a hint of unknown fury in Catra’s tone, but it came out rather stifled. She pauses before smiling wickedly.

“Aww, was the big, strong, mighty She-Ra distracted by her enemy’s fear? I’m no princess, but I know that for a princess that’s so crucial to your measly Rebellion, it’s good to never let your guard down, Adora.”

With this, Catra lunged towards Adora, unsheathing her claws. Adora nimbly swerved, letting out a small gasp.

Adora swung her sword blindly, not aware of who or what she’s striking.

“W-Woah! Careful, princess,” Catra exclaimed with a sultry tone to patch up her wavering.

Adora could feel the air thicken with apprehension. That time, she picked up on the slight falter. _But Catra’s right— never let your guard down. ‘Maybe she’s just testing me.’_

And almost like a choreography, the two began lunging and twirling around each other. Soon enough, Catra’s uncharacteristic falters slipped Adora’s mind.

_Lunge, back away. Lunge, back away. Left, right, left, right, left, right. Attack, dodge, attack, dodge, attack—_

That’s when she stumbled.

The air felt as if it began compressing the two’s lungs.

The two halted immediately, with colour draining from Catra’s face at the contact. Her breathing became jagged, her pupils shrunk, but she couldn’t break eye contact with Adora. Adora’s eyes widened too, and she couldn’t stop the heat from tingling across her face.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

Catra slowly glanced downwards to see Adora’s palm still snugly positioned right on the former’s inner thigh.

She shrieked.

She jumped away immediately and began violent shaking, barely finding the ability to stay standing. Adora stumbled in shock, heartbeat going a thousand miles a minute.

“C-Catra?”

The air felt as if it could suffocate a person. Both girls found their breath being seized, with Adora’s throat almost closing in on itself.

_“…A-Adora, don’t touch me.”_

“Cat-“

“I don’t want _your_ hands on _my_ body ever again.”

“Catra, I’m sorry—“

“I SAID, I DON’T WANT YOUR HANDS ON MY BODY EVER AGAIN!”

And with that, Catra fled as fast as she could, with Adora frozen from the stun. Watching Catra desperately flee made her slowly de-transform.

The sword fell to the ground.

Adora let her sword slip out of her grasp as her head began pounding.

The sounds of constant explosions eventually faded into silence.

The world felt still again.

After what felt like forever, Adora glanced at her palm, the same one that touched Catra.

Her mind failed to even work correctly.

Her head was spinning.

She had a billion questions.

Billions.

And yet, with all the confusion in her mind, she could only decipher one.

_What just happened?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra panics after her encounter with Adora, but Scorpia's there to comfort her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey.  
I have been slow with updating, i'm sorry.  
This part of the story was hard for me to write, so this chapter is under 1000 words. It was to be longer, but i felt like this portion was better off on its own.  
also, I have a one-shot planned (its non-con, fair warning) which i am in the process of writing and should be out this weekend.
> 
> I don't know much about panic attacks (I've only really had one mild panic attack) and I know even less about PTSD, so I really tried my best. I promise to research better next time.
> 
> with that said, here we are.
> 
> TW: PTSD, Referenced Non-Con, Torture, Panic Attacks

Catra felt stupid.

Ashamed.

_Weak._

She leaned against a tree and used all of her energy to prevent herself from throwing up. She took large, jagged, pained breaths as she wiped her eyes from any mist starting to form.

** _You had one job, kitty._ **

_I know._

** _But you cowered at the sight of Adora._ **

_I didn’t—_

** _Shadow Weaver is right. You are pathetic._ **

_I’m not—_

** _Weak._ **

_Stop-_

** _Coward._ **

_No-_

** _“I’ve only kept you around this long because Adora was fond of you, but if you ever do anything to jeopardise her future, I will dispose of you myself.”_ **

_STOP!_

Catra’s eyes shot open as anxiety and fear peaked, just to be greeted to the same scenario brimming with shrubbery full of pink and orange, and nature shining dark red. She slowed down her breaths to a steady pace. Eventually, she was able to take steady yet rough sighs.

‘What am I even scared of? It’s nothing but a—‘

_Shadow Weaver bounds Catra with her shadowy tentacles, and doesn’t feel satisfied until Catra begins pulsing red. Another tentacle slithers around Catra’s mouth to keep her silent before she could even scream, and once Shadow Weaver is assured the feline’s paralysed, she loosens her grip around the latter’s body, just to wrap around again at her legs, slowly prying them open._

‘…S-Stupid—‘

_Catra is turned to face Shadow Weaver, who behind her mask, wears an expression between a toxic frown and a psychotic smile.  
“Now Catra,” Shadow Weaver sneers. “What have I told you about picking fights with older cadets? You never listen, do you, you foul animal? Must I always have to punish you?”_

‘...’

_The grasp around Catra’s limbs tightens. Catra is now screaming— she swears her legs are breaking. Catra squirms in a desperate attempt to loosen Shadow Weaver’s hold on her, but she soon realises it was a brutal mistake. Catra’s electrocuted once again, and she screams to the point that her throat feels raw. More of the vile tentacles slither around her petite body, filling her with a sense of unwanted apprehension.  
“I should’ve let those cadets deal with you however they wanted to. Perhaps with a different approach, you’d finally listen.”_

_ <strike>Pain. Pain. Stop. Don’t touch. Stopstopstopstop—</strike> _

“Catra!”

Catra’s breath hitches, abruptly bringing her out of her depressing train of thoughts. Her head is spinning, but she can slightly identify the figure running towards her.

Scorpia.

“There you are! Oh man, I was wondering where you went-“

Scorpia halts as she takes another look at Catra’s frantic state— pale, sweaty skin, glossy, bulging eyes, panicked breaths, and slowly sliding down the tree.

“S-Scorpia?”

Dammit, she hates how small her voice sounds. She hates how small she feels.

“Woah, Catra, are you okay?” Scorpia asks, her usual bouncy and energetic tone now soft and sympathetic. “Well, obviously not- I mean- uh, shoot, I…”

Catra stares at Scorpia with wild and wide eyes as Scorpia stammers. “Catra, what happened?”

Catra feels something trickling down her face.

“I……d-don’t….I don’t…..”

Catra begins hyperventilating and clutches her chest, choking on her words. Scorpia, for one, is shocked— she’s never seen Catra so broken, so despondent.

So vulnerable.

Catra buries her head in her arms as if to protect herself from the world. The sight is heartbreaking— Scorpia could cry herself watching her friend break into a million pieces.

“Catra, calm down, you’re safe here. I, uh, just breathe. Look around you. Name three things you see.”

Catra tries to reduce her sobs to hiccups as she attempts to calm down.

“….The…t-the….the g-ground……the t-trees….a-and….Y-you.”

Scorpia feels like smiling, but she can’t just yet. “Okay, two things you hear?”

Catra pauses for a considerably long amount of time to breathe. “C-cannons….y-your voice…”

“Something you feel?”

_PAIN PAIN PAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAIN—_

Catra feels her hand being held and flinches. But… _the touch is soft and warm…_

“…Your….Y-Your hand.”

Scorpia slowly cracks a smile as she watches her friend calm down. She gently wraps an arm around Catra, pausing whenever Catra tenses up, and slowly continues once Catra appears comfortable. Eventually, it’s a hug.  
Catra allows her body to relax after a silent minute, embracing the affection and warmth of Scorpia holding her in her large arms. When Catra stops moving completely, Scorpia clears her throat.

“Catra?” Scorpia whispers. “You good now?”

“…Yeah,” Catra whispers back, her voice soft, as if she’d been screaming for hours. With the reply, Scorpia slightly shifts.

“…You don’t…You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong. I get it, you didn’t have the most… _‘happy’_ childhood…Just, know you’re safe now,” said Scorpia. “Anything that happened or has happened to you won’t happen again.”

Catra quietly nods and silent shrugs her shoulders, signalling to be let go of. Scorpia immediately catches this and backs away. Catra’s ears flatten as she tenses, as if dying to say something. The feline looks around with fear in her eyes. _She’s safe._

Her eyes eventually land on Scorpia.

“…Thank you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra returns to the Fright Zone.  
Problems ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The shadow bitch makes her debut (not in a flashback this time) :D  
I also threw in an OC, but he's only for plot device, and will probably never be seen or heard from again. I don't know. I don't plan these out.  
I decided that i should go more for quality than quantity, so I'll try to make each chapter have more impact than length, because I'm better at that.  
That being said, enjoy this poorly written chapter.
> 
> TW: Implied/Referenced Attempted Rape (I believe it's attempted rape, I mean...) and one very subtle reference to abuse and/or self harm (it depends on how the reader interprets it)
> 
> Catra isn't having it easy.

Catra got back to the Fright Zone.

She knew it was an uncharacteristic decision of her, but she rushed to the showers immediately. She had the strong need to feel clean, to be cleansed…

She ignored the constant glances she received from guards and cadets for her foreign behavior. Their stares bore into her, prickling her fur at the unwanted attention. She was able to contain herself, for she knew that lashing out on someone who stared for a second too long would only draw more attention to herself— the exact opposite of what she wanted.

  
Fortunately for her, nobody was in the locker rooms at the time, so she had no struggle finding a shower to hop into.  
She quickly stripped herself from her clothes and turned on the shower when the bruises on her chest caught her eye. Her stomach twisted as her inner thigh felt as if there was a ghastly touch on it, reminiscent to Adora’s—

She quickly shook her head to shake off the thoughts and entered the shower. The sudden impact of cold water bristled her fur and she flinched. Cold water hitting her back felt numbing and it was unpleasant, but she could handle it.

She tried her best to scrub away the lingering feeling on her inner thigh, but the aggressive action only made her thigh feel sore, almost as if it was burning. Catra grumbled in dissatisfaction, and finished rinsing herself off.

When she finished showering, she instantly wrapped herself in a towel, she normally didn’t have a problem with it, but at the moment, she really didn’t want to feel exposed.

She stood solemn in the middle of the room until her eyes met her reflection from a mirror above one of the sinks. She scanned her features— besides bruises and cuts from battle, training, and _other_ things, her body looked average. If anyone was to look at her, they wouldn’t notice a thing wrong from first glance, besides how tired she appears.

The fur on Catra’s body stood when she heard footsteps.

Her eyes immediately went to the doorframe as she tightened the towel around her, suddenly feeling the chill of dripping, cold water hit her again.

Standing at the door is a guy— he’s muscular and burly and appears older than Catra. She’s seen people that look like him hanging with gangs around the Fright Zone.

_Probably one of the gang leaders_, she thought.

“Would you look at that,” He sneered. He looked Catra up and down, definitely slowing down his descent at her breasts— more specifically, her cleavage. The action made Catra feel disgusted.

“Actually,” he mumbled. He cleared his throat. “Doesn’t seem like there’s much to look at.”

Catra then remembered his name. _Alex, or something like that._

“Fuck off, Alex,” Catra scoffed.

“Ah, so you do remember my name,” Alex jeered. “Surprised to see you here, kitty kitty—“

“I said, fuck off,” Catra interrupted Alex, shooting him a glare. Alex growled as she frowned, stepping closer to the feline.

“You better watch your mouth, flat tits,” Alex rumbled. “Bet your ass is flat too— no wonder your blonde bitch never hit that.”

Catra shifted uncomfortably at the crude mention of Adora.

“You better watch your mouth when you’re speaking to your commander—“

“You’re not my commander. I could never imagine shortie here commanding me. I’m only here because I’m looking for someone.” Alex towered over Catra in a predatory way, making the latter feel uneasy.

“Looking for someone?” Catra questioned. She clicked her tongue. “Please, you’re probably looking for another dumb chick to bang. That’s all you do, anyways.”

“Bold assumptions from your flat ass.”

Alex cracked his knuckles, and Catra re-adjusted her towel.

“Thought you would’ve known better than to try and fuck with me, kitty kitty. That, however, could be arranged, pussycat.”

Catra paused to comprehend what had just been said before perking up in alarm. She definitely didn’t like the fear she was starting to feel, and being nearly cornered in a locker room by a gang leader when you’re wearing nothing save for a towel didn’t make her feel better at all.

“Fuck with— hah, in your dreams, pretty boy. As if I’d ever fuck you.”

“You ain’t gotta do any of the fucking, kitty.” Alex smirked. He stepped even closer to Catra when she backed away, until she was cornered. The way Alex loomed over her was horrific at the very least.

“Who the fuck do you think you are? I am still a Force Captain, commander of your squadron or not. You’re just a measly cadet— run back to your gang already.”

“Who do I think I am?”

Catra’s back hit the wall, and her eyes widened in fear. Alex pinned her to the wall with his left hand, and placed his right on her chest, slowly working his way down to her waist. Catra’s breath hitched. She nervously glanced at Alex, who wore a vile grin. He licked his lips in a tantalizing manner.

“The only person in the entire Fright Zone who’d be willing to fuck a mere cat like yourself.”

* * *

This wasn’t what Scorpia signed up for.

She was strolling through the halls when she heard commotion from the locker room. She tried to ignore it at first, but soon, she became filled with anxiety, and rushed to investigate.

She was shocked when she walked into a brawl.

A gang leader and Catra were fighting.

The gang leader was only slightly recognizable. He seemed to have started to get pummeled.

What made Scorpia raise a brow was when she noticed Catra in a towel (which was starting to slip). It wasn’t the regular shower time for cadets, and Catra hated water. Why had she showered?

Shortly after, the entire room darkened.

Catra and Alex continued fighting, almost as if they hadn’t even noticed the room dimming, but Catra had begun slowing down.

A figured draped in red hovered in.

Shadow Weaver.

Once Catra had made eye contact with the sorceress (or at least acknowledge her presence), she froze. Alex had stopped too once he noticed Shadow Weaver’s presence.  
Catra’s fury began to fade, being replaced by fear. She jumped away from Alex and began trembling, readjusting her towel. Catra then noticed Scorpia behind Shadow Weaver, and her stomach twisted again. Alex froze and kept his eyes on Shadow Weaver anxiously. 

Shadow Weaver wrapped her shadows around Catra’s body, paralyzing the feline for the others to watch. Catra gritted her teeth to stifle a scream, but her eyes turned glossy.

“Catra, what seems to be going on here?” Shadow Weaver asked, malice heavily dripping her tone. She made her grip on the feline tighter, almost to suffocate her. Scorpia’s heart plummeted as she watched in terror, and Alex wore a similar horrified expression on his face.

“N—No! Let go— Let go! I-It’s not fair…!”

“Oh?” Shadow Weaver hummed.

She tightened her grip even more, provoking a cry from Catra.

“As a Force Captain and Commander, you should know better than to fight with a cadet. What do you have to say for yourself?” Shadow Weaver questioned. Catra squirmed, shutting her eyes.

“He—He…”

Catra glanced at Scorpia, whose face showed fear, concern, anxiety…

Catra screamed at the electrocuting pulse that went through her just then.

“He tried to… tried to… to—“

Catra hiccupped.

“He tried to rape me.”

The entire atmosphere changed.

Everyone had frozen at Catra’s words. Shadow Weaver turned her stare to the now cowering gang leader.

“Is that so?”

Her stare burned into his skin.

Silently, she released her grasp on Catra, letting the feline fall to the ground limply.

Shadow Weaver quietly left the room without saying another word.

Alex glanced at Catra and quickly ran off.

Scorpia stood at the door in shock.

The silence between the two was deafening.

Catra’s body quivered as she slowly curled up, now unaware of her surroundings.

Scorpia felt her breath being seized each time she tried to open her mouth to speak.

* * *

The locker room was empty.

Save for those two.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They can't take this much longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next won't be easy. Bunch of stuff to go down...
> 
> TW: Self-Harm, Rape (in a nightmare)

It had been a week.

Scorpia couldn’t handle this much longer.

Ever since what had happened _(or almost happened)_ in the locker room, Catra had barely spoken to anyone. The only time you’d hear her voice was when she was giving orders to cadets and guards, and even then, her voice sounded strained. It sounded frail, defeated, and timid, and you could hear the insincerity of Catra’s assertive tone. Whenever she yelled, it sounded forced and weary. You could tell the feline was exhausted, from her tone and from her appearance. Even then, you wouldn’t catch much of either— whenever she had the chance, Catra secluded herself.

Scorpia knew the feline was getting worse each day, but wouldn’t admit it to anyone.

And it made Scorpia feel terrible.

Catra had been getting barely any sleep.

She’s been having nightmares.

And they’ve been getting worse.

* * *

_Alex tugged on Catra’s towel, making the feline freeze in terror. Time felt as if it’d slow down when the towel made its descent from Catra’s body to the floor. Alex examined Catra’s bare body with his eyes again._

_“Hmm… I take back what I said earlier.” Alex began feeling Catra, finding comfort in the curve of her waist. “Not bad, pussycat.”_

_Catra felt like she was going to throw up when vile, menacing eyes tried to penetrate her skin. She had to force herself to breathe— even then, she felt like she was suffocating. She turned cold all over once she heard a zipper._

_“See if you can take it raw.”_

** _No._ **

** _Nonono._ **

_Alex’s grip on her waist became even tighter._

** _Stop._ **

** _Someone help me._ **

** _Help._ **

** _STOP._ **

** _STOP—_ **

_A sharp pain traveled her entire body at the first thrust._

** _PAIN._ **

** _STOP._ **

** _HURTS._ **

** _TAKE IT OUT—_ **

_Catra’s head spun and she felt like she could faint._

_She’s nauseous._

_Her sight’s blurry and shaky._

_“F-Fuck…” Alex let out a breathy moan. “You’re even tighter than I expected.”_

_Catra felt tears trickle down her face as she tried to scream, just for nothing to come out. **She’s mute.**_

_Catra fought for air the moment her body almost came to an entire halt. **She’s slipping.**_

_Another thrust._

** _It hurts._ **

** _Stop._ **

** _Stop._ **

** _STOP—_ **

_He began picking up pace, digging his fingernails into Catra’s back each time he lets out a moan. Catra can’t do anything except feel and watch._

_She feels like she’s been torn at like pages._

_She feels violated._

_She is being violated._

** _Why’s this happening…?_ **

_“Fuck, I…. I’m gonna—“_

_He goes even faster, and Catra’s eyes bulge the moment she realization of what’s bound to happen dawns on her._

** _STOP—_ **

** _PLEASE DON’T DO THIS—_ **

** _NO._ **

** _NO._ **

** _NO._ **

_“…F-FUCK!”_

Catra shot up, crying out in pain and fear. She’s violently shaking, unable to calm herself as her breaths turn sporadic. She’s drenched in sweat.

Catra glances around her room in a panicked manner. Her eyes land on a clock.

2 AM.

_It’s all a nightmare._

_It’s all a nightmare._

_It’s all…_

Catra’s eyes turn glossy again before she feels something trickle down her face.

Tears.

_She’s crying._

It’s been the worst nightmare she had so far.

She feels sores all over her body again.

She hates this— She hates this so much. _Why her? Why is this all happening to her?_

She grits her fangs and unsheathes her claws. They glisten from the light that just so happens to peek through the cracks and incredibly small window.

She can’t do this anymore.

She places her claws from her left on her right arm and sharply inhales. She finds the right spot to apply pressure on, and gently drags her claws to create a red line on her arm. Blood begins to form over the cut, threatening to spill over.

With that, she feels slight relief from her quivering at the freshly formed cut.

She drags her claws across her limb again.

Before she knew it, her right arm is littered with new cuts.

The perverse relief she gets from the action is intoxicating, and she’s tempted to continue on the rest of her body, but halts herself.

She knows something is wrong with her.

Not that she’ll ever admit it.

Adora can’t do this.

She knows she’s being irrational, but guilt has been slowly eating her alive over the past week.

_Catra’s scared of me?_

_Why?_

_What’d I do?_

She doesn’t like this. At all.

She led herself to believe it was all a façade at first, but she can’t lie to herself anymore.

Something’s not right. And there’s nothing she can do about it, huh?

The great and mighty She-Ra, savior of Etheria, is finally faced with a problem she can’t solve.

What Glimmer had said to her before was right— she can’t just head back to the Fright Zone on a whim. It’s not like Catra would want her help after everything’s that happened recently.

Glimmer has shown concern for her.

She knows that nothing hurts Adora more than being faced with something you can’t solve.

Adora’s watching her childhood friend go down the path of isolation and insanity and can only watch.

* * *

It’s been a miserably slow day in the Fright Zone. It’s been nothing more than training all day. Even then, the training is less rigorous, and cadets have even been slacking off. Nobody seems to care, however.

Scorpia hadn’t mentioned it yet, but there’s been no sign of Catra all day. An eerie silence from the feline only makes her worried. At least before, Catra was seen giving orders— now, nobody’s heard a word from her today.

Scorpia stopped by Entrapta’s laboratory. The two haven’t spoken much recently— not because there’s a grudge between the two or anything like that, but because lately, they’ve been drifting apart.

They’re still close friends though. Just busy.

Entrapta turned to the door the moment Scorpia opened it, and upon seeing her friend, Entrapta warmly smiled.

“Scorpia!” Entrapta exclaimed. “Nice seeing you again! It’s been a while.”

Scorpia awkwardly chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve— we’ve both been busy. A lot has happened recently, so I haven’t really had time to stop by. Nothing’s really going on today, so I thought, _‘Why not visit Entrapta?’_ and here I am.”

The prehensile haired girl tilted her head slightly. “A lot has happened recently? Like what? Ooh, I’ve been so wrapped up with work lately, I forgot about the outside world!”

Entrapta innocently giggled at her words, but Scorpia shifted her weight to one foot nervously.

“O-Oh, it’s nothing…You know, battle and war and…stuff,” Scorpia stammered. Entrapta, for the first time in a while, seemed genuinely confused. Entrapta obviously didn’t seem to fully believe her answer, but unlike herself, didn’t become curious enough to press on.

“Okaaay…Where’s Catra?” Entrapta asked, simultaneously lunging across the room to retrieve a tool.

Entrapta obviously hadn’t heard the sharp inhale from Scorpia as she hadn’t shown any reaction to the noise.

“C-Catra? Oh, well…I haven’t really heard from her today. She’s been in her room all day.” Scorpia, actually, wasn’t sure of that.

“Catra hasn’t been seen today? You don’t think she’s…_’sick’,_ do you?” Entrapta questioned. She turned her focus back to Scorpia.

“I dunno.” Scorpia fiddled with her claws. “Should I check up on her?”

“Perhaps,” Entrapta responded.

“Okay.” Scorpia oddly felt hesitant— she knows how stubborn the feline is, and it wouldn’t be easy to get her to open up, would it?

The two fell into an awkward silence, and Scorpia could only stand and watch the shorter girl tinker with machines she can’t even begin to comprehend.

“…Um…I guess I’ll do that now,” Scorpia said, awkwardly turning to the door.

“Okay. Nice seeing you, by the way. Feel free to stop by again soon!”

“Right.”

Scorpia exited the laboratory.

She felt uneasy now. Checking up on Catra would mean talking to her for the first time after a week.

A week since the incident.

Scorpia tried to shake herself free from those thoughts as she navigated the halls.

The hallways seem barren today. Guess the guards are slacking off today, too. Scorpia doesn’t see this as much of a problem— sometimes she felt like the Horde was too harsh on cadets and guards alike.

Eventually, she made her way to Catra’s room. She’d almost missed the door— almost all the Force Captain bedroom doors appeared the same.

Inside the room seemed silent.

Scorpia took a deep breath— she knows what’s yet to come won’t exactly be pleasant to deal with, but it’s necessary.

For Catra.

Right.

* * *

Catra lay on her bed, not moving an inch, eyes fixed awake.

She can’t sleep, but she’s exhausted.

Every time her eyes were to drift shut, she’d be haunted by nightmares and memories and fears, shooting her back awake.

She was slightly surprised when she heard a knock on her door.

She could barely move, rendering her only able to drift her eyes towards the door.

“Come in,” Catra called out.

As a reply, the door slowly opened, and standing there was Scorpia.

Seeing her made Catra sit up in interest.

Scorpia made eye contact with her gradually, and once she did, she sharply inhaled.

“Catra…Can we talk?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the worst chapter I'll write.  
I'm actually sorry.  
Am I?  
I honestly can't tell.  
Also, remember when I said that Alex was gonna be a one-off character?  
Yeah...  
Here we go.
> 
> TW: Threats (Violence and/or death), Self-Harm, Rape (Gang Rape to specify, i hate that I actually included that.* Also, the rape is offscreen and therefore not depicted because I don't have the heart to actually write it all out.*)  
If you're not comfortable with any of the content warnings, please do click off. It's important to take care of yourself first, please don't push yourself to read this.
> 
> If you're still here, let's begin.

Catra’s eyes are on her.

Scorpia’s heartbeat quickens and she becomes sweaty at the extremely tense silence. She could have sworn she would’ve broken down into a nervous wreck hadn’t Catra replied with a quiet “sure.”

Catra stands up from her bed and stretches as Scorpia closes the door behind her. When Scorpia didn’t continue speaking, Catra bore into her with dismal eyes again, waiting for the former to actually _say_ something.

Scorpia erratically exhales, grasping Catra’s attention. _She’s nervous?_

“…Catra, y-you’ve been… acting strange lately. I’m concerned, you know? I stopped by Entrapta’s, and… she asked about you.”

Catra’s ears subtly perk up in interest before flattening again. She knew that people would start noticing her change in behavior, so she shouldn’t be all so surprised when someone, especially Scorpia, would approach her about it. Then again, it _is_ the Fright Zone, and she’s been brutally raised to fend for herself, so she wouldn’t expect any members of the Horde to _actually_ bother about her.

Catra sighs to release her pent up urge to suddenly _do_ something.

“Scorpia, I’m fine,” Catra responds. Agitation starts to bubble up in her.

“Are you though?” Scorpia questions. Catra’s eyes slightly widen in surprise at the question. “I mean, you barely even interact anymore unless it’s to give orders. And you… haven’t really fought recently.”

Catra’s ears twitch in stifled anger. “What, I don’t pick a fight for some time and suddenly that’s an issue? Besides, what’s wrong with me not talking to people as much anymore? Last I checked, everyone complained how my large mouth is ‘all bark and no bite’ and proceed to say how my big fucking mouth keeps getting me into fights. I shut up for a while and now that’s also a fucking problem?”

Scorpia stammers, much to Catra’s satisfaction. “Scorpia, I’m fine. And you need to get your nose out of my fucking business.”

The rant allows Catra to relax her tense shoulders after Scorpia continues to say silent. Her blood’s pumping now, but she manages to minimize her aggression.

“Now, if that’s all you wanna talk about, then this conversation is over. The door’s right behind you.”

Catra shoots a lowly glare at Scorpia, who winces, but doesn’t leave.

“Catra, I’m serious. I’ve barely seen you around lately, and… I worry for you, Catra.”

“You worry for me?”

Catra snidely giggles, making Scorpia feel a slight tug at her heart, which is obvious in her frown.

“Please, you say that now, how you ‘care’ for me and ‘worry’ about me so I’ll soften up and trust you. Last time I did that— y’know, trust somebody— they turned around and stabbed me in the back.”

“…Ador—“

“_Don’t_ say her name,” Catra snarls. “I’ve learned from my mistakes and learned my place, and maybe you should too. Nobody’s really cared for me my entire life, so what makes me think you actually will? I’ve been doing just fucking fine on my own, thank you for asking.”

Scorpia catches the subtle denial in Catra’s voice, yet decides not to mention it.

“Thanks for stopping by, Scorpia,” Catra cynically remarks. “Go ahead and leave already.”

“W-Wait just a minute! Catra, you can’t just… you can’t just keep pushing people away!”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” Catra yells, her voice slightly cracking. “THIS IS THE FRIGHT ZONE YOU IDIOT, HAVEN’T YOU LEARNED TO TRUST NO ONE?!”

“CATRA, YOU CAN’T KEEP LOCKING YOURSELF UP!”

“I SAID, DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO—“

“IS THIS BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LOCKER ROOM?!”

The room falls silent.

As the adrenaline fades from Scorpia, she takes a glance at Catra’s face, and once she sees the pain and fear in her expression, she realized she fucked up.

“…Catra—“

“G-Get out.”

“Catra, I-I—“

I SAID, GET OUT!” Catra shrieks.

“LEAVE! GO AWAY! DON’T FUCKING TALK TO ME!”

Scorpia’s rendered speechless as guilt threatens to eat her alive. _What has she done?_

When Catra glares at her with violence in her eyes, Scorpia silently obliges and quickly leaves, crestfallen.

The moment she closed the door behind her, she heard an assortment of noises of shattering objects.

She bites her lip to prevent tears from forming and to prevent herself from re-entering the room.

_‘I didn’t mean to… trigger her or anything,’_ Scorpia forlornly thought to herself. Her heart plummeted as the muffled noise of shattering glass and objects fills the hallway. To her surprise, nobody questions it.

Perhaps nobody is around.

She finally decides to leave, clutching her heart each step she takes away from the door.

_That went really badly._

Scorpia feels a heaviness cloud her heart when she remembers Entrapta, oddly enough.

Entrapta is— strange, to say at the very least. Despite her bubbly personality and adorable appearance, she prefers to stay on her own. Entrapta is also quite amoral, hence her very easy transition to the Horde from the Rebellion.

But she cares for her friends.

Surely she’d be concerned too if she heard of how Catra’s doing lately, right?

At least, in her own Entrapta-y way.

** _But there’s nothing that can be done for Catra._ **

…

Scorpia shakes her head at the negative, passing thought.

_‘Catra’s just… shocked, right now. I did approach her the wrong way, didn’t I?’_

_‘That’s right, I’ll apologize and try again tomorrow! My wildcat is in need of support, and I’m there to provide it!’_

With a goal now set in mind, any residue of sadness quickly disappears as Scorpia’s spirits are naively lifted, and she picks up her walking pace, her posture now straighter and more confident.

* * *

She’s pissed and exhausted.

It’s half past one and quite past Light’s-Out, yet Catra is yet to even get a wink of sleep.

She curses Scorpia for even mentioning what had happened—

** _Or almost happened._ **

Catra grits her teeth at that fleeting thought.

She curses Scorpia for mentioning the _locker room incident._

Instead of sleeping, she’s digging her claws into cuts that’ve barely even healed, smearing blood all over right arm, and she’s begun forming cuts on her left arm, too.

She takes time to stare at her bloodied arm before her eyes become blurry.

Her eyes sting.

_She’s crying?_

** _What a crybaby._ **

_‘Dammit, I’m weak.’_

_‘Nothing even happened to me— he’d barely even touched me, yet here I am, crying—‘_

** _Like the bitch you are._ **

_‘…She— she hasn’t actually done anything to me. They were all nightmares— all she did was brush past my leg and yet I ran away—‘_

** _Weakling_ ** _._

_‘And yet I can’t even look at her.’_

_‘I can’t think of her, I can’t think of him, I can’t think of either of them without crying— I was barely touched, b-but here I am…’_

** _Pathetic._ **

** _Weak._ **

** _Coward._ **

** _Crybaby._ **

** _Puny._ **

** _Fragile._ **

** _Pitiful._ **

** _Useless._ **

She’s hyperventilating, and yet is getting no air.

She feels like she’s choking.

Desperate for air, she jumps off her bed and searches for her mask and the nearest coat.

She finds a fairly long one (one that goes slightly past her knees), which she hurriedly deems good enough to cover up her body (she’s wearing sleeping clothes, which aren’t that much).

She quickly grabs her badge and flees from her room, finding the balcony.

Her signature spot.

* * *

She feels relief.

The light wind blows past her, sending chills down her spine due to her lack of clothes under her coat.

Frankly, it wasn’t that cold, but she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing shorts and a literal sports bra.

She can breathe.

She leans against the railing, gently shutting her eyes— a way to relax.

Once she feels calm enough, she stretches her back and turns around, preparing herself to make her way back to her room.

That’s when she heard a voice.

A bitter, loud laugh.

She turns back around and leans over the railing, searching for any source of the voice.

“Who’s there?” She calls out. Frankly, she’s surprised she can even hear the laugh— the Fright Zone is noisy, and voices usually get drowned out in the vast land, even with her heightened hearing.

She heard the laugh again.

_What a mocking response,_ she thinks, and with hesitance and against her better judgement, she leaps over the railing, barely being able to make it to the ground safely, with her catlike abilities and her astonishing agility.

On the ground, she hears the laugh again, and grumbles, running towards the direction the laugh is supposedly coming from.

The farther she goes, the louder the laugh gets, meaning the closer she is.

Even with her great speed, fatigue and exhaustion begins to catch up with her, and she begins to grow peeved.

“I said, who’s fuckin’ there?” She asks again, followed by a low growl.

She’s replied to with the laugh again, but this time, it rings out so clearly.

_Like it’s so close…_

Instead of going silent, the laugh turns into murmurs.

_Oh, how nerve-wracking._

Her running slows into tentative walking, her eyes darting all around her.

She doesn’t recognize this place in the Fright Zone at all.

Sure, she’s never been one to truly explore the Zone, but this place is unrecognizable.

_How deep into the Fright Zone had she gotten…?_

Suddenly, the murmuring stops.

Catra freezes once she hears footsteps. _This was a bad idea, this was a bad idea, thiswasabadidea—_

_“Hello, Force Captain.”_

Her heart hammers against her chest and she becomes increasingly self-conscious the moment she recognizes the voice.

It’s _him._

_No._

_No, no, no—_

She re-adjusts her coat, remembering her lack of clothes underneath. She inhales and puts on a stone-cold face before turning to face him.

“Alex,” She snarls, able to hide her fear with a tough façade. “It’s past lights-out, shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not in charge of my squadron,” Alex sneers. Catra doesn’t like the look on his face. _It’s too calm, too cool…_

_Too sinister._

“That doesn’t matter,” Catra replies. “I’m still a Force Captain, news fucking flash. That means I’m still above you and have more power than you. So as Force Captain, I command you to return back to your quarter, and maybe I won’t report this infringement.”

Alex doesn’t say anything back.

Instead, he takes his eyes off Catra, and looks above and beyond her, not even focusing on the feline.

Catra notices how it’s as if his eyes are following something.

“…Yeah…okay, pussycat.”

_ <strike>PAIN.</strike> _

Catra shrieks in agony at the sudden electrocuting stun navigating through her.

She can only see white as her consciousness slowly fades.

The last thing she remembers is falling into someone’s arms, and Alex’s distorted, vile grin.

* * *

“Hah, and— wait, boss, she’s starting to wake up!”

Catra’s eyes barely open before pain starts to course through her again. She quietly groans in discomfort, not yet observing where she is. Slowly, she regains consciousness, and as she does that, her body starts to turn cold.

Ignoring the unwelcome chill at first, she tries to see where she is, and spot where the voice came from.

That’s when she realizes she’s chained.

Her eyes shoot open in alarm and she anxiously looks around, only to see a group of boys— _(men? She can’t tell)_ surrounding her with sickening smiles on their faces.

_She doesn’t like where this is going._

She quickly looks down to see her coat laying on the ground, along with her mask, which appears cracked.

She also realizes that her mouth is tied up.

_Oh no._

“Hello, Force Captain.”

Her eyes dart to Alex, and now, an alarm is ringing in her head as he looms over her.

“I’ll cut this short. I’m surprised, how easy of a target you were, despite being a force captain,” he sneers.

“Never thought we’d get the chance to fuck a force captain, but here we are,” one of the guys gist.

_Fuck a force captain…?_

** _OH._ **

** _OH NO, OH DEAR, NO-_ **

Her heart threatens to stop as a cold sweat breaks out, and she begins squirming, grazing her limbs against the cool, rough chains.

“She’s kinda hot when she squirms.”

“What a turn-on.”

“She’s such a tease.”

“Let’s get this clear, Catra,” Alex jeers, placing his palms on Catra’s thighs, making her shoot up at the sudden, repulsive touch.

“Don’t even try and tell anyone, pussycat. If you say a word about what happens tonight, you’re as good as dead. Nobody would even care if you told anyone, so what’s the point?”

Catra’s eyes begin to glisten at the harsh words. She can’t even look at any of the men and vacantly stares past them.

Alex reaches for her shorts and begins to slide them down her legs, making Catra’s breath hitch.

_This is really happening…?_

Alex and the guys around him stare at her lower body with vile intentions in their eyes. Catra’s heart leaps and she freezes in terror, her usual catlike reflexes suddenly failing her.

_She feels ten again, being cornered by Shadow Weaver, violence in her eyes, ready to break the young girl down into nothing…_

“Is she a virgin or something?”

“Wouldn’t be surprised if she’s never fucked.”

“She’s such a slut though, I’d kinda be surprised.”

“Oh, and if you try anything funny while getting fucked, we’ll might as well try out the kill-mode on a stun baton for once,” Alex states.

Catra bolts her eyes shut to prevent tears from coming out of them.

_This is really happening._

“It seems like pussycat cuts herself too.”

“What a weak bitch.”

“I can’t believe a slut like you even became Force Captain.”

“She’s no good for the Horde.”

“Only good for shoving a dick into.”

“Exactly.”

She hears various zippers and wishes she was deaf.

She feels a calloused hand grip her hair and throw her head back, emitting a muffled, strangulated sob.

_It’s happening._

“Now, let the fun…begin.”

* * *

She can’t move.

Her whole body aches.

She warily opens her eyes, feeling stiffness on her face as if something dried on it.

_She prays it’s just tears._

She doesn’t have the heart to even look around her, but she knows the boys are gone.

That’s something she’s slightly happy about.

_No, not happy…relieved._

_…_

_…I’m weak…_

Her body is frigid and damp, and she comes to the realization that she’s naked.

A strangled sob comes out of her sore and violated throat.

Her sight is blurry and she’s exhausted, as if she’s on the verge of passing out.

She glances at her coat, that’s barely out of her reach, and lunges for it.

Hot, white pain courses through her veins again, and she cries in agony.

As she grabs the coat, she reaches for her badge.

This is the last thing she can do before losing consciousness.

* * *

Scorpia wasn’t expecting to be woken up like this.

Her badge began pulsing, and as she reached from it, she was given a coordinate.

_Strange,_ she thought.

She glanced at her clock, which read 2:35 AM.

_No Force Captain should be out and about at this time._

_Practically everyone should be sleeping right now._

She took a moment to pause and listen, and sure enough, the Fright Zone was quiet, save for the rumble of machinery and faint snores.

_Could this be a mistake? An error or something?_

Even then, she couldn’t shake off the feeling to at least go and check where the signal is coming from.

So she left to go follow it.

* * *

Scorpia began to grow concerned.

It seemed as if she was getting closer and closer to wherever the signal was coming from, but she couldn’t recognize this place in the Fright Zone.

She’s never seen it before.

Then, she heard faint cries.

Strangled cries.

And they sounded so familiar.

Panic began to swell in her chest and she began running.

“Hello? Anyone there?” She called out.

“Hello?”

“Hel—“

She saw her.

Catra.

Laying on the ground.

Scorpia’s mind immediately realized what happened, and tears began to form in her eyes.

She felt sick.

She couldn’t believe it.

What had happened.

But the evidence was right in front of her.

Scorpia had to fight the urge of throwing up when she realized what the hardened fluid on Catra was.

Catra was still, yet breathing, which was a relief for Scorpia. _She’s out cold._

Her stomach twisted with sadness at the amount of blood smeared on Catra’s body and on the ground.

** _Amongst other fluids._ **

Scorpia shook her head, rattling her brain for different ways to solve this.

To make things right.

But she came to the conclusion that there’s only one option left.

She wrapped Catra in her coat and carried her.

_I can’t save her._

_But maybe somebody else can._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her world is crumbling.
> 
> She has to stay strong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't die yet aha, waiting to do that after the 15th :)  
Sorry for another month delay, i've been busy with classes and my computer was down for two weeks. Chapter 10 is already in the brainstorming phase so don't worry all too much.  
I'm also considering posting a 2 chapter story about the Crimson Wastes. It's already fully written.  
I'd be surprised if anyone still keeps up with this monstrosity.  
Without further ado...
> 
> TW: Discussions of Rape (the storm isn't over yet!)

Adora couldn’t sleep.

She’ll admit, she hasn’t been the healthiest lately, and it was certainly raising some brows as she barely ate and worked rigorously.

Bow, bless his heart, constantly asked Adora to eat out of concern for his friend. She usually replied with a friendly laugh and a nod, but he could tell that it wasn’t as genuine as he wished it would be.

So this night, like many others, Adora was restless. Her body ached to rest, her eyes pleaded to be shut, but she just couldn’t get a wink of sleep.

She couldn’t pinpoint why.

She lay motionless hoping that sleep would finally subdue her, but when moments had passed as she was still wide awake, she groaned in defeat and sat up.

She quickly glanced at her clock that read _4:18 AM_, and sighed.

Her stomach twisted. There was this sinking feeling she was having and she couldn’t tell why. She couldn’t even come up with a reason as to why she was feeling this way, as her mind was feeling clouded and foggy.

Unable to think of any other ways to sleep, she decided that taking a walk around the castle would help calm her nerves.

She grabbed a coat since the castle tends to be quite chilly in the night and she couldn’t be bothered to change into something warm.

Feeling comfortable, she quietly stepped outside of her room and glanced down the hall. She saw a few guards here and there, but didn’t pay much mind to it. She avoided any eye contact as she began her walk.

* * *

After some time, she felt some sort of relief, but she was no longer exhausted.

She hung around the conference room, staring into nothing as she began organizing her thoughts. Her eyes turned vacant and dead again.

She looked dead.

Dead tired.

* * *

Suddenly, she heard commotion, snapping her out of her comatose trance.

She perked up and cautiously looked around her before running towards the source of the noise.

_Towards the gates._

_‘Could it be a late-night ambush?’_ She pondered. _‘No, the Horde would never do something like that.’_

As this thought came and went, she briefly remembered the fact that her sword is in her room. _Figures— it’s not like she’d take it with her._

As she sprinted down the halls, she barely noticed Glimmer in the corner of her eye. She had also passed by Bow, and after forever, she finally got to the doors of the castle.

Guards were huddled up.

Strange.

“What’s going on?” Adora asked one of the guards. They seemed rather hesitant to give an answer right away— probably confusion.

“Princess Adora! Right, it seems like two Horde soldiers flew into Bright Moon— specifically the castle. Well, more like one Horde soldier, we’re not all too sure about the second one. They appear unarmed but we have them contained. The Horde soldier that flew in mentioned something about her friend being injured and—“

“Injured?” Adora interrupts, panic making her voice nearly an octave higher.

“…Y-yes, injured. But—“

“Where are they?” She interrupts again, her voice turning cold and hard. The guard is taken aback by the sudden shift in Adora’s demeanor.

“…Uh, Princess Adora, it’s best we keep them contained first for your safe—“

“Do I have to say it again?” Adora snaps. She’s angry. She can’t tell why, but there’s rage simmering under her skin that she can only release through her voice. She feels guilty for being so rude towards the kind guard, but she can’t help it. _She needs to know if it’s her, but they’re holding her back— restricting her._

Despite the guard’s previously soft tone, they immediately wear a face of indifference towards Adora’s protests. Other emotions are starting to catch up to Adora, and before she allows her eyes to glisten, she grits her teeth and stares the guard dead in the eye—

“What’s going on here?”

Everyone halts and turns towards the source of the voice.

Queen Angella.

“M-my queen,” The guard stammers, now disregarding Adora. “Y-Yes, a Horde soldier flew in with another one, stating that her friend is injured.”

“Hm. Where are they?”

The guards cleared a path for the queen. “Right this way.”

The queen nodded and brushed a hand over her clothes, straightening them out.

“Wait. Queen Angella.”

Angella, slightly startled, turns around to see Adora with pleading eyes.

“I need to come with you. I need to see them. I need to know if it’s _her_—“

“Adora,” Angella interrupted. The blonde froze— Angella’s voice was so soft, and at the same time, cold. “Adora, you need to rest. You’ve been overworking yourself lately and haven’t been taking care of yourself as well. Go to bed, I’ll take care of this.”

Angella gave Adora a quick loving smile before turning back around, walking closer to the room with the soldiers.

“B-But—“

Two guards blocked Adora’s path the moment she tried to step forward. Two more wrapped their hands around her arms, holding her tightly as they prepare to take her back to her room. As they began pulling her away, Adora begins to squirm in their grasp, gritting her teeth. It’s when she gets a sudden rush of adrenaline when she pulls out of their hold.

“Queen Angella! Please, I need to talk to them—“

“You can do so after you are well-rested in the morning. For now, you are to stay away from this room,” Angella gripes, shutting the blonde teen up. Seeing no reason to further argue with the queen, she silently submits.

“Wait… mom…”

Angella stifles an exasperated groan and turns to see Glimmer, standing straight and alert, but slight drowsiness is seen in her face. Behind her stands Bow, silently.

“Maybe… maybe you should let Adora see them,” Glimmer quietly suggests.

“And why is that?”

“I’m not sure, but… if Adora wants to talk to them, maybe she needs too. She can handle herself. Besides, maybe talking to them will finally help with her mood.”

Adora mentally cringes at Glimmer’s last sentence, feeling slightly guilty for acting so abnormal towards everyone else. She’s been so focused lately, but at the same time, so… zoned out. She hadn’t begun to wonder what other people were thinking of her at the time.

Angella glances at Adora, Bow and back at her daughter a few times before finally being defeated. “Alright. You three can handle them. If anything goes wrong, alert the guards.” Glimmer perks up, looking suddenly awake.

“Wait, why me? What did I do?” Glimmer asks.

“I didn’t even say anything…” Bow sighs.

“You two brought yourself into this,” Angella chided, walking away, presumably back to her bedroom. Glimmer glanced at Adora who offers a weak, apologetic smile. Glimmer groans, but gives Adora a small grin to show she means no offense. Bow sighs again and smiles at the girls.

_ Whatever it takes to make Adora happy._

* * *

The trio walks towards the door and pauses, exchanging glances of worry and anticipation before Adora slightly pushes the door open. Her fingers feel cold and sweaty, and gradually, so does the rest of her body.

She pokes her head around the door before fully opening it, and she sees three guards. And past the three guards she sees…

…Scorpia… _and… is that Catra?_

Adora’s eyes linger on Catra for a second too long, and she begins to panic. _What’s going on? What happened? _

Glimmer and Bow notice Adora’s sudden tension and they each try to wrap an arm around the latter to calm her down. Glimmer waves off the guards, and they respectfully leave the room, leaving the trio with the Horde members.

Scorpia looks up at Adora and gives her a warm, friendly smile. “Oh! Adora, am I glad to see you!”

Adora’s caught off-guard by the force captain’s kindness, but before she can say anything, Glimmer speaks up.

“Why did you come here?” Glimmer questions, narrowing her eyes at Scorpia to tell her she’s dead serious. When Scorpia’s smile instantly drops and her eyes turn sullen, Glimmer repeats herself. “It’s four in the morning, why did you come here? What do you want?”

Scorpia looks away for a moment to formulate her thoughts into an answer. “It’s… it’s not exactly what I want. This isn’t about me... It’s about Catra.”

It seems like just then did Glimmer and Bow notice Catra wrapped up and in Scorpia’s arms.

“—What happened?” Adora asks, and she tries not to flinch at how quiet and weak her voice sounds. Scorpia can no longer look anyone in the eye. She stays silent for a moment or two.

“…Look, there— there isn’t much time left— I don’t know, but, please, Adora, you need to save her, take care of her— I don’t know, just—“

“You can’t be asking for favors around here, you haven’t even answered—“

“Glimmer, wait.” Adora nudged the shorter princess, who grumbled but stayed quiet afterwards. “Why, Scorpia? What’s going on?”

Scorpia goes silent and sharply inhales, trying to blink back any sign of incoming tears. “I couldn’t— I couldn’t save her…Please…”

Glimmer’s harsh demeanor faltered as she saw how genuine Scorpia was. Adora’s stomach began twisting— _and the fact that Scorpia just wouldn’t say what happened is only making it worse._

“C-Catra, she… they… they…”

Oh gosh, the pain in Scorpia’s voice sends Adora’s brain reeling at a million miles per hour. Bow rubs a soothing hand on her back when he senses that Adora is on the verge of freaking out.

“…I can’t— I can’t hide it anymore… I’ll just say it…”

Scorpia thought of the best way to phrase it. The word was on her tongue, and rising up her throat was regret. She hadn’t realized how painful it’d be to tell Adora, but she needs to. She has to. _She can’t just watch this happen…_

“…Scorpia?”

“Catra…. Catra was… was raped.”

And just like that, the entire room held its breath.

Bow’s eyes widened and he felt a weight being pressed on his shoulders. Glimmer was absolutely speechless, and she felt nearly nauseous. Adora’s body went incredibly still, but anguish and denial was written all over her face. Her skin turned pale and she felt as if the world around her was closing in.

“W-What?” Adora struggled to get the word out of her throat. _Nonono, This isn’t real. There’s no way anyone want to hurt Catra that way—_

“She was raped,” Scorpia repeated, able to keep her voice stable. She continued to avoid looking any Rebellion member in the eye— she’d probably start sobbing if she did, and she wanted to keep some composure.

Adora felt something die within her.

It’s like her entire world went black.

Her eyes were open, but she couldn’t see.

Her ears were open, but she couldn’t hear.

Her entire body went numb.

Her thoughts began slowly incapacitating her, and her head was pounding. She could only hear static. She couldn’t make out a single thought that was hitting against the walls of her brain. She didn’t even realize how quickly she lost connection with reality until—

“Adora?” A voice called out to her. _Why does it sound so distant—_

“Adora!”

It’s Bow’s voice.

It was at that moment she could feel her legs, and she recognized the fact that she was kneeling. Her body felt cold and she was shaking. Something trickled down her face. Tears?

She’s crying.

Fuck, she’s crying, and as she tries to hold back her tears, more begin flowing out.

_“Adora,”_ Bow whispers, gently turning the blonde to face him. _“I… I’m sorry, about that.”_

_Why is he apologizing? What’s going on? Nothing’s making sense anymore—_

“Adora, maybe you should go back to your room,” Glimmer kindly offered. _And do what? With the information plaguing her head that Catra had been belittled, and violated, and raped?_

Fuck.

Adora feels useless.

Her job is to protect everyone in Etheria, but she couldn’t even protect the ones she loved.

She had promised her.

She promised.

“I couldn’t… I couldn’t stay, not while knowing how apathetic the Horde is towards her. Barely even a week ago—“

_Oh gosh, something happened a week ago?_

“You mean the same thing was attempted last week?” Bow innocently questioned. _They’d attempted to…_

“Well, yeah… Shadow Weaver, she… she didn’t care. I knew at that point something was terribly wrong, and yet, I’d waited a week before saying anything to Catra. I just… I feel like I could’ve stopped this from happening…”

Tired of pitying herself, Adora slowly gets onto her feet, drawing all attention to herself. She cleared her throat, even though it was incredibly tight and constricted.

“…Scorpia, how can I help?” Adora asks. “I could… I could— clean her… if that’s what you want me to do.” _She can’t believe she’s saying this…_

“Please do,” Scorpia replies. Her face turns slightly pink as she considers the next thing to say.

“I— you guys don’t happen to have anything to… prevent…”

“Wait, so, it wasn’t even—?”

“Protected?” Scorpia finished Glimmer’s sentence. _She utterly despises how quickly the words came from her mouth. _“From what I saw… I doubt.”

The Rebellion trio pauses to decipher what Scorpia had just said, and as if in unison, they immediately understood what she meant.

“I could… I could ask my mother,” Glimmer offered. Scorpia nodded, and slowly, she felt tears beginning to make their way down her face.

“Adora, please… take her,” Scorpia pleaded. Adora took a deep breath— she has to stay strong. She slowly walked towards Catra’s body, and upon seeing it from a closer distance, uncertainty washed over her. She picked it up with shaky hands and stared, as if to voice her silent condolences. Glimmer and Bow could sense her unheard agony— _of course she’d be pained. After being on edge for days, it must feel like her world’s crumbling around her at the heartbreaking news._

Adora took a ragged breath and began running.

She burst through the doors, not even too sure as to where she’s going— she just wants to end up in her bathroom.

The guards protested at Adora’s abrupt sprint while carrying the Force Captain, but she didn’t hear them. She didn’t care.

* * *

_She has to stay strong._


End file.
